The present invention generally relates to card image replacement and, more specifically, to a method and system for managing card image replacement on a token via a computer network.
The emergence of secured tokens, such as smartcards, has allowed a much higher volume of information to be stored on a transaction card. For instance, in addition to the typical cardholder information, a smartcard is able to store a variety of different programs including, for example, a loyalty program of which the cardholder is a participant. Furthermore, unlike cards with magnetic stripes which can only retain static information, the use of a smartcard allows information stored thereon to be changed dynamically. As a result, there is often a need to update or replace contents of a smartcard.
Moreover, smartcards often need to be replaced for any number of reasons. Due to the transit time needed for replacement cards to reach their respective cardholders, these cards (such as a chip card that has the capability to receive updated information) generally do not contain the latest transaction information. This is because transactions conducted with the old card often occur during the transit period, i.e., the period between the issuance of the replacement card and the actual receipt of that card by its owner.
There are many different situations in which replacement cards are needed. One common situation is when an old card is about to expire. Typically when issuers, such as banks, replace a card, they do so by sending a replacement card to the cardholder in advance of the expiration date. Once the replacement card has been personalized and sent for delivery to the cardholder, there is a period of time that the cardholder may be conducting transactions on his/her existing card. In the case of a chip card, a cardholder may make transactions that result in information being stored on the chip during the time the replacement card is in transit. As a result, when the replacement card is delivered to the cardholder, the most recent transaction information would not be captured on the replacement card.
Another common situation in which a replacement card is desired is when a card has been lost or stolen. Similar to the situation described above, the replacement card would not contain the most recent transaction information. Furthermore, in the case of lost or stolen cards, unauthorized and/or illegal transactions may have occurred. Therefore, it would be important to include the correct authorized transaction information on the replacement card.
Under conventional practice, a replacement card does not always contains the latest information that the cardholder desires. Sometimes, the latest information that the cardholder wishes to store on the replacement card may not be available. For example, in existing card-based, offline loyalty programs, when an issued card reaches its expiration date, a new (replacement) card is typically sent to the cardholder in advance, normally one month prior to expiration. Activities continue on the old card while the new card is being prepared and mailed to the cardholder. In order to prepare the new card, the old card status is utilized when personalizing the new card, enabling the new card to be functional when it is delivered to the cardholder. During the period of time after the new card is prepared and the date when the cardholder receives the replacement (new) card, the cardholder may conduct incremental reward transactions using his/her old card, thereby causing the image stored within the old card to be updated and, therefore, out of sync with the image personalized on the new card. As a result, when the cardholder attempts to utilize the new card, one or more earned rewards may have been lost entirely or reward accumulations may have been lost, causing customer dissatisfaction and confusion.
Hence, it would be desirable to provide a method and system that is capable of facilitating card image replacement so as to allow replacement cards to be updated with the latest accurate transaction information in an intelligent and efficient manner.